Jersey County, Illinois
Jersey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Jersey County is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. As of 2000, the population was 21,668, and the population was 22,628 at the 2006 unofficial census. Its county seat is Jerseyville6. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 976 km² (377 sq mi). 956 km² (369 sq mi) of it is land and 20 km² (8 sq mi) of it (or 2.08%) is water. Jersey County is bordered by the Mississippi River to the south, the Illinois River to the west, and Macoupin Creek to the northwest. Adjacent Counties *Greene County - north *Macoupin County - east *Madison County - southeast *St. Charles County - south *Calhoun County - west Major highways * U.S. Route 67 * Illinois Route 100 * Illinois Route 267/111 History Jersey County lies just northeast of where the great Mississippi and Illinois rivers meet. It is the former home of the Kickapoo, Menomini, Potawatomi, and Illiniwek Confederation Indians. The first European explorers to visit the area, Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet, arrived in 1673 Jersey County description & history, retrieved August 24, 2007, where they encountered the fearsome painting of the Piasa bird. The present day Pere Marquette State Park, located near Grafton, is named in Father Marquette's honor. Jersey County was founded on February 28, 1839, and was formed out of Greene County. The county was named for the state of New Jersey, from which many of the early settlers emigrated - which was itself named for the Channel Island of Jersey in Great Britain. The area quickly evolved into several small agricultural communities. As the area soon began to flourish, a county government was established and a courthouse was built in Jerseyville, the county seat. The present courthouse is a magnificent architectural structure that was built in 1893. Today, while the county maintains its agricultural base, it is within commuting distance of jobs and industry in St. Louis, Missouri and the surrounding area. A large portion of the population works outside of Jersey County and benefits from being "Near the crowd, but not in it.", the official slogan of the Jersey County Business Association's advertising campaign. The bordering rivers play an important part in Jersey County's economy by supporting agricultural producers and agribusiness, and by creating a strong tourist market. Education, manufacturing, and retail are among the county's largest industries. Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 21,668 people, 8,096 households, and 5,861 families residing in the county. The population density was 23/km² (59/sq mi). There were 8,918 housing units at an average density of 9/km² (24/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 98.13% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 8,096 households, out of which 34.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05. In the county, the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,065, and the median income for a family was $49,666. Males had a median income of $38,771 versus $23,086 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,581. About 5.30% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.70% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over. Education Unified school districts *Jersey Community Unit School District 100 - serves most of Jersey County, and a small portion of southern Greene County. *Southwestern Community Unit School District No. 9 - serves the northeastern and southeastern portions of Jersey County, along with southwestern Macoupin County. High Schools *Jersey Community High School, located in Jerseyville. Colleges and Universities *Principia College, located near Elsah. Cities and towns *Brighton *Elsah *Fidelity *Fieldon *Grafton *Jerseyville *Otterville Townships Townships by population 2006 estimates: Illinois Subcounty population estimates (2006), (XLS format) retrieved September 1, 2007 *Jersey Township - 9,833 *Piasa Township - 3,142 *Elsah Township - 2,456 *Mississippi Township - 2,053 *Quarry Township - 1,216 *Otter Creek Township - 959 *Richwoods Township - 756 *Fidelity Township - 732 *English Township - 544 *Rosedale Township - 506 *Ruyle Township - 431 Unincorporated settlements *Beltrees *Chautauqua *Delhi *Dow * East Newbern *Kemper *Lockhaven *McClusky *Newbern *New Delhi *Nutwood *Rosedale See also Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area References External links *Jersey County government website *Jersey County Health Department website *Jersey County fact sheet Category:Counties of Illinois Category:Jersey County, Illinois Jersey County, Illinois